Steward Qian was a spy from a minor sect, ordered to infiltrate the Primordial Beginning Sect. His mission was to uncover the secret behind its sudden rise to power, and if possible, seize one or two cultivation techniques for study.
A seasoned veteran, he had come prepared. Tucked in his sleeve was a high-grade Talisman of Turtle Breathing and Calm Spirit, capable of concealing his aura and resisting pressure.
Stepping onto the steps, he made smooth progress up the first thirty with the talisman's power, a self-satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
This talisman had carried him through the initiation tests of countless sects—this time would be no different.
But his triumph was short-lived. Past the fortieth step, the talisman's glow began to flicker violently, fading fast.
The repulsive force on the jade steps surged exponentially, as if countless cold eyes had pierced his disguise, staring straight into the greed in his heart.
His face paled, and he channeled all his power into the talisman, veins bulging on his forehead.
Yet the moment he set foot on the forty-fifth step, the Talisman of Turtle Breathing and Calm Spirit finally buckled under the strain, snapping into a cloud of ash with a sharp hiss!
"Damn it!"
Alarm bells blared in Steward Qian's mind, but retreat was impossible.
The jade steps erupted in a blinding golden radiance, and a violent spiritual shockwave, fused with repulsive force, slammed into him like an invisible tidal wave!
"Aaaagh!"
A shrill scream echoed through the mountain gate!
Blood spurted from all seven of Steward Qian's orifices, his eyes bulging from their sockets. His body went limp, as if all his bones had been pulled out, and he tumbled down the steps, collapsing in a lifeless heap on the ground—breathing in only shallow gasps, with barely any exhalation.
That single strike had stripped him of all his cultivation, shattered his soul, and reduced him to a complete invalid.
His attendants, scared out of their wits, dragged him away on their hands and knees, daring not to glance back.
Jiang Ling's mouth twitched, and he was about to look away—when his gaze suddenly froze, locking onto one figure in the crowd.
Holy hell—a favorability rating of -45!
Which sect had sent this spy, to harbor such intense animosity toward the Primordial Beginning Sect?
Sun Bu'er had a simple, honest face and shabby clothes, looking for all the world like a down-and-out loose cultivator.
In truth, he was a veteran spy of the Shadow Demon Sect, a master of transformation capable of altering his appearance so perfectly that even Nascent Soul ancestors could not see through it—he was held in high esteem by the sect's leader, the Black Demon Daoist.
Sun Bu'er's mission here was twofold: first, to uncover the Primordial Beginning Sect's secrets, and second, on the Black Demon Daoist's order, to seize the chance to plant demon seeds in the sect's elites.
"Hmph, a mere flight of steps, trying to stop me?"
He sneered inwardly, unleashing his movement technique. He flitted across the steps like a ghost, seeking to blast through the Jade Capital Platform's senses with sheer speed.
Fiftieth step... fifty-fifth step...
He moved with blinding speed, on the verge of crossing the sixtieth-step threshold.
And then, the moment his foot touched the fifty-ninth step—
Hum!
The entire Jade Capital Platform shook violently!
A visible pillar of pure white light tore through all his defenses and disguises, striking with pinpoint accuracy into the depths of his dantian, targeting the demonic origin he had hidden most deeply.
"No!"
Sun Bu'er let out an inhuman shriek.
His body convulsed violently, his eyes rolling back to show only white, and he spurted black blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs. Black qi gushed uncontrollably from his seven orifices, dissipating into the air.
He crumpled straight down from the steps, slamming into the ground with a thunderous crash—his dantian shattered, his soul scattered, reduced to a mindless madman.
The residual demonic qi in the air was quickly purified by the clear radiance emanating from the Jade Capital Platform.
Jiang Ling's eyes narrowed, and Sun Bu'er's identity information flashed before his eyes.
[Sun Bu'er]
Favorability: -100
Identity: Disciple of the Shadow Demon Sect
Holy shit!
A favorability rating of -100, an all-time low!
Had the Primordial Beginning Sect dug up his family's ancestral grave?
But it made sense, knowing he was from the Shadow Demon Sect.
The Shadow Demon Sect was an Eighth-Rank force, not far from the Primordial Beginning Sect. The two sects had clashed countless times over resources in the early days—sending a spy now was only natural.
[Ding! Detected a sect favorability rating of -100, an unprecedented low. Hidden Quest Triggered!]
[Quest Content: Do unto others as they would do unto you.]
[Requirement: Annihilate the Shadow Demon Sect and seize its territory.]
[Quest Reward: Sect territory expanded to include the Shadow Demon Sect's domain. The immortal formation's coverage will expand accordingly, forming an absolute defense against all below the Golden Immortal Realm!]
"Absolute defense against all below Golden Immortal!"
Jiang Ling's eyes sharpened, then he broke into a grin.
He was not one to pick fights, but when others bullied him to his face, he would not let it slide—lest he disappoint them.
Besides, annihilating the Shadow Demon Sect would surely bring great comfort to the late sect master's spirit in the afterlife.
No problem. He'd arrange it for tonight!
The scenes unfolding on the hundred jade steps left the onlookers trembling in fear. The Jade Capital Platform seemed to possess a soul, able to distinguish loyalty from treachery, good from evil.
The sincere walked as if on flat ground; the schemers met death or ruin!
Beneath this ruthless screening, the number of disciples in the Primordial Beginning Sect swelled like a snowball.
In a single day, 28 new outer disciples, 5 new ordinary disciples, and 2 new inner disciples were inducted.
Though no core disciples were added, the sect's total population surged past 100—meeting the Eighth-Rank sect threshold!
[Ding! Sect Upgrade Quest: Reach 100 Disciples – Completed!]
[Rewards Issued: Sect territory expanded to a hundred li radius. The immortal-grade mountain-protecting formation, the Nine Heavens Earthly Dragon Guard Array, expands its coverage synchronously, forming an absolute defense against all below the Heavenly Immortal Realm!]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A faint tremor ran through the earth. Under the stunned gazes of countless onlookers, Primordial Beginning Peak rose abruptly toward the sky.
The once sky-piercing main peak, like a slumbering giant awakening, rumbled upward, rockslides cascading down its slopes, spiritual springs gushing forth, and countless ancient trees lifted by an invisible force. In the span of a few breaths, Primordial Beginning Peak soared to a height of a hundred li!
Its summit pierced the clouds, wreathed in thick, impenetrable spiritual mist and radiant glow—at last, it bore the true aura of an immortal mountain, towering and magnificent, inspiring awe in all who beheld it.
Around Primordial Beginning Peak, the once wild mountain ridges and river valleys unfurled like a scroll under an invisible giant hand, incorporated into the Primordial Beginning Sect's domain.
Several hidden low-grade spiritual veins and high-quality spiritual spring eyes revealed themselves naturally in the expanded territory, and the concentration of spiritual energy surged visibly.
At the same time, the Nine Heavens Earthly Dragon Guard Array, shrouding the Primordial Beginning Sect, materialized abruptly. Its light barrier grew far denser and thicker, with faint dragon-shaped phantoms swirling upon it, exuding an aura of absolute defense that even Heavenly Immortals would dread.
Hum!
The black and yellow light barrier rippled, spreading rapidly like a living thing, silently enshrouding the newly expanded hundred li of mountains and rivers within its grasp.
Jiang Ling stood with his hands behind his back, a smile on his lips.
For eight hundred years, he had never felt such an overwhelming sense of security!
"Good heavens! The mountain—the mountain is growing taller!"
"The spiritual energy is so thick! I can feel my bottleneck loosening!"
"It's a miracle! A true miracle! The Primordial Beginning Sect has truly risen!"
"Is this the formation that slew a Nascent Soul demon king with a single strike? Not even a Transcendent God ancestor could break through this!"
After a moment of deathly silence, the mountain gate erupted in deafening shouts of astonishment.